Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT; Cambridge, MA) chemical engineers have devised a cheaper way to synthesize gamma-valerolactone (GVL)—a potential feedstock of interest for production of both fuels and fine chemicals—from biomass, the university announced today. GVL could also be useful as a green solvent or a building block for creating renewable polymers from sustainable materials. "People recognize that GVL is a very interesting molecule derived from biomass, but the type of processing now used doesn’t allow the...